Church proposal at 399 North Quentin draws mixed testimony on traffic, parking and tax impacts

The Community & Economic Development Committee reopened and heard extended testimony on a petition to allow a church at 399 North Quentin Road. The petitioner's representative said the 2.9–3.01 acre site was previously commercial and golf‑training use and that site plans show 82 parking spaces — more than the 75 required for a proposed maximum occupancy of 250. The petitioner told the committee the church currently expects about 120 attendees and would be willing to fund Cook County Sheriff patrols if excessive traffic occurs: "The size of the property is 2.9 to 3.01 acres... There are currently 82 existing parking spaces on the site, so, we more than accommodated that," the petitioner said.

A commercial real‑estate witness, Bridal Green of Colliers International, testified the church use would likely benefit adjacent property values and that the building had been on the market since October 2014. The seller's attorney urged the committee to complete the transaction without further delay. An adjacent property owner, David Bean, who operates an e‑commerce/warehouse business at nearby addresses, urged caution: he said the building supports an active shipping operation ("We have 7 semis a day... probably about 200 packages a day") and that converting neighboring parcels to nonprofit uses could reduce commercial tax revenue significantly over time.

Committee members pressed staff on the technical constraints: fire prevention reported that, based on building square footage, a theoretical maximum occupancy could be posted as high as 900, though the petitioner requested a posted maximum of 250; staff said code would require roughly 30% of a building's maximum occupancy in parking (which would be about 270 spaces if the building were posted for 900). The hearing record was closed and the committee moved into deliberations and subsequent procedure related to how the matter will be processed in committee and before the full council.